Bourbon And Beer Is A Boozy Pairing For The Ages

Beer and bourbon is a timeless combo that has become iconic in the world of libations, with its fusion of robust flavors and hoppy bitterness creating the perfect pair. But how do you pick the right beer to accompany your bourbon? Let's start with the basics: stouts, amber and brown ales, and porters are some of the most common beers that complement bourbon. As for the IPAs, the beverage director of B. Hospitality, Charles Bement, encourages you to stay away. "I think doing IPA and bourbon can be overpowering," Bement explains in an interview with Uproxx. While Men's Journal suggests that you dive right into IPAs and bourbon, with their combination of New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze IPA and a shot of Basil Hayden, creating a match made in beer-bourbon heaven.

Now, let's clear up a common misconception — a whiskey with a beer, also known as a boilermaker, is not the same thing. But wait, aren't whiskey and bourbon the same? Well, let's put it this way — bourbon is to whiskey as champagne is to wine. Bourbon is just whiskey's more refined cousin, more specifically it's a type of whiskey. Furthermore, this brings us to our duo's final creation — the bourbon beer cocktail — combining bourbon straight into your beer, creating a truly off-the-wall drink combination. This cocktail can include a multitude of ingredients, but the main stars are always bourbon and beer.

Beer doesn't have to be a one-act wonder — it can give accents like frothiness and body to your cocktail. The first known beer cocktail recipe started sometime in the 1800s, and was for a drink called a "Shandy Gaff," which was made with beer, lemonade, and ginger. People have since then curated beer cocktails, including the refreshing beer margarita or the red wine and beer cocktail. Truly challenging the way we view the traditional cocktails we know and love, bartenders have created crazy beer-bourbon duos like the Boiler Room, which is a beer-bourbon cocktail using wheat beer, bourbon, and marigold tea. There is truly something out there for everyone. But when did bourbon step into the beer conversation?

Well, it was the English settlers who brought their distillation knowledge to the American frontier, where an abundance of corn, a key ingredient in bourbon, led to its widespread production. The term "bourbon" is believed to have originated in Kentucky, and is thought to pay homage to Bourbon County. While the exact origins of mixing beer and bourbon to create these one-of-a-kind cocktail combos remain a mystery, one thing is certain — the combination is widely appreciated and cherished by libation enthusiasts. So, whether you prefer a classic beer-bourbon cocktail or enjoy the drinks separately, the world of beer mixology offers endless possibilities for crafting the perfect sip.